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2003 Escape - won't accelerate properly

We purchased 2 Escapesback in June. About a month ago, I reallized that one of them would not hit full passing gear as easily as the other. It doesn't seem to be related to timing or fuel system. It just simply doesn't have enough pedal. That is, its accelerator pedal is a little lower to the floor than our other Escape. So, when going down the road at about 25 mph, the other Escape will hit full passing gear when punched about half way. The enemic Escape will only hit full passing gear when the accelerator is punched to the floor - and, even then, sometimes it won't.

I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get Ford Service to remedy this problem for almost a month now. They claim there is no problem with the acceleration. I was beginning to doubt my sanity until I took it to the salesperson who sold it to me. I have done business with him for several years and he is a pretty straight shooter. After test driving my Escape against a comparable Escape on the sales lot, he said there was a problem with my Escape's acceleration. He said it didn't "have enough pedal" - like the throttle wasn't opening up enough.

However, even though he went with me to the service department and vouched for my claim, the service rep and service manager continue to maintain that there is no problem with my Escape. (They have supposedly done test drives to compare it with a similar Escape also.)

I am at my wits end with my frustration with Ford service. Anyone have any thoughts?

Reply to
Nathan Jordan
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Have somebody move the gas pedal through it's full motion. Open the hood and watch the throttle body. When the pedal is all the way down, can you manually move the throttle a bit more? Compare the two cars. If they are the same, then it's something else wrong. If they are different, then the one not getting full travel may have something else wrong.

Most cars today have electronically controlled transmissions. Everything is set by programming and the throttle position sensor. The TPS could be incorrect or bad on the one car, or there is a difference in the programming. I am assuming the two have the same engine and are the same year! Look at the label, usually on the driver's door, to find out when it was built. They could be built at different times, which might be showing a mid-year change.

It may also have an adapative learning program on the transmission. Over time, it tends to learn how you drive and adjusts shift points, shift smoothness, and many other things. That could also be affecting things. At worst, you could try disconnecting the battery for an hour or so to force the computers to reset.

Reply to
Andrew Rossmann

Buy a Toyota next time?

Scott in Florida

Reply to
Scott in Fla

Are you simply comparing performance based on the position of the accelerator pedal relative to the floor? It sounds like that is what you are doing. THis is meaningless and does not indicate a problem. You need to pull the inlet hose off the throttle body. With the engine off, have someone press the accelerator pedal to the floor while you are looking at the throttle plate. If it opens all the way, then there is nothing wrong with the throttle / accelerator pedal system. If it doesn't open all the way, you probably have a stretched throttle cable or a bent bracket. This is something Ford service can correct. The transmission shifts based on commands from the PCM. If the throttle is opening all the way, then everything should be OK. It is possible you have a bad throttle position sensor (TPS), but this is unlikely on such a new vehicle. Are the vehicle typically driven by different people? If so, it is also possible the PCM has learned different shift patterns based on the driving styles of the different drivers.

Regards,

Ed White

Nathan Jordan wrote:

Reply to
C. E. White

Scott, he didn't look under the hood yet. One is a 4 cy the other is a V6 LOL

mike hunt

Scott >

Reply to
BenDover

Go here.

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Reply to
lightshow

Actually, they are both V6, and there is only one V6 motor for this model. So they definitely have the same motor. Also, both are 2003 models. The only difference is that the one with the problem has speed control. Ford Service says the speed control isn't a factor.

I can now describe the problem a little more precisely (from a driver's viewpoint - I'm not much of a mechanic). I have observed that the Escape has two distinct levels of passing gear (or downshift) depending on how far the pedal is depressed. There is a lower rev passing gear that engages when the pedal is rapidly depressed a _little_ (sorry, I can't think of a better way to describe it). The higher rev passing gear engages when the pedal is rapidly depressed even further. Both of my Escapes hit the lower rev passing gear fine. But one of them has trouble hitting the high rev passing gear consistently because the pedal hits the floor before it has moved far enough to engage the high rev passing gear.

Hope this makes sense. I know it is not a blatant problem, but it really bugs me. I'm thinking about having it evaluated by an independent repair shop to see if _they_ think it has a problem, since the Ford Service center thinks the motor is fine.

And many thanks to everyone who has provided input.

snipped-for-privacy@mailcity.com wrote:

Reply to
Nathan Jordan

As stated earlier, it sounds like the transmission, not the motor. You said yourself they are shifting differently. Same motor, same year, but what is different about the two? XLT, XLS, etc. What options are different?

The high rev and low rev you are referring to are (first) the lockup torque convertor dropping out, followed by a downshift. These are controlled by computer.

Lastly, Ford could have changed the shift points during the model year, and you have one from before, and one after. Dealer might be able to look that up with a little effort. Final drive is pretty tall at 2.93, so it doesn't have to be a very big tweak to really change the shift points.

Reply to
John Alt

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